Studio Album · No. 27
Africa Speaks
Produced by Rick Rubin, Carlos Santana
Santana wrote 0 of 11 documented tracks
Authorship Breakdown 0 / 11 documented
Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether Santana carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Africa Speaks is an African-inspired album built around Spanish vocalist Buika, who sings lead on every track and shares songwriting credit with Carlos Santana throughout. Rather than the guest-driven, producer-by-track approach of Supernatural, the record is a band effort, with the touring lineup including drummer Cindy Blackman Santana cutting the songs live in the studio. Rick Rubin produced the sessions at his Shangri-La studio in Malibu, where Santana has said the band recorded 49 songs in about ten days before paring the album down to its final form. The compositions credit Carlos Santana and Buika alongside a wide range of co-writers drawn from African and global music, reflecting the album's intent to channel African rhythms and melodies.
Africa Speaks is the twenty-fifth studio album by Santana, released in 2019 on Concord Records and produced by Rick Rubin. The album features Spanish vocalist Buika as the primary voice on a collection of original compositions that drew heavily on African rhythms, flamenco, and blues, a return to Santana's most adventurous musical instincts after years of guest-heavy collaborative records. Recorded quickly and intuitively under Rubin's direction, the album has a raw, live-feeling energy that contrasted sharply with the polished Supernatural-era formula. Buika's powerful, expressive vocals complemented Carlos Santana's guitar in a way that felt genuinely symbiotic rather than commercially engineered. Africa Speaks received some of the best critical notices of Santana's late career and was celebrated as a bold, risk-taking departure.
Track Listing & Credits 11 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Africa Speaks
|
David AxelrodBuika | David AxelrodBuika | Rick RubinCarlos Santana | Carlos Santana |
| 2 |
Batonga
|
Buika | Buika | Rick RubinCarlos Santana | Carlos Santana |
| 3 |
Oye Este Mi Canto
|
BuikaJohn Ademola Haastrup | BuikaJohn Ademola Haastrup | Rick RubinCarlos Santana | Carlos Santana |
| 4 |
Yo Me Lo Merezco
|
BuikaJay U XperienceStonefaceDrago Uboma | BuikaJay U XperienceStonefaceDrago Uboma | Rick RubinCarlos Santana | Carlos Santana |
| 5 |
Blue Skies
|
BuikaLaura MvulaMike Odumosu | BuikaLaura MvulaMike Odumosu | Rick RubinCarlos Santana | Carlos Santana |
| 6 |
Paraísos Quemados
|
BuikaMohammed Jabry | BuikaMohammed Jabry | Rick RubinCarlos Santana | Carlos Santana |
| 7 |
Breaking Down the Door
|
Manu ChaoBuikaDrew GonsalvesIvan DuranRafael de Leon | Manu ChaoBuikaDrew GonsalvesIvan DuranRafael de Leon | Rick RubinCarlos Santana | Carlos Santana |
| 8 |
Los Invisibles
|
BuikaRachid TahaSteve Hillage | BuikaRachid TahaSteve Hillage | Rick RubinCarlos Santana | Carlos Santana |
| 9 |
Luna Hechicera
|
BuikaIsmaël Lô | BuikaIsmaël Lô | Rick RubinCarlos Santana | Carlos Santana |
| 10 |
Bembele
|
BuikaPhilipp KullmannBojan VuleticMichael Timo Ehnes | BuikaPhilipp KullmannBojan VuleticMichael Timo Ehnes | Rick RubinCarlos Santana | Carlos Santana |
| 11 |
Candombe Cumbele
|
BuikaEasy Kabaka Brown | BuikaEasy Kabaka Brown | Rick RubinCarlos Santana | Carlos Santana |